1986 Subaru Wagon GL-10 review from North America

Turbo bearings went out.

Coolant tempature sensor.

Fuel pressure regulator.

Left CV joint.

Rust around wheel wells.

This is a four wheel drive turbo GL-10 wagon.

I love this car in spite of what's gone wrong! It's got over 100,000 miles and is 20 years old after all and things are expected to have to be replaced.

The turbo bearings went out and it started blowing huge amounts of smoke. Found a used turbo on eBay for about $50 and replaced it myself.

The left front CV joint started rattling and needed replacement. Bought a new axle/joint at the parts store and replaced it myself.

The fuel pressure regulator also went bad. This is a pretty standard replacement item for these cars. I replaced this myself too.

I live in the upper mid west (Iowa) so there is some rust around some of the wheel wells because of the salt used on the roads during the winter.

The only odd thing that went wrong was the coolant temperature sensor went out which caused the car to die as soon as it reached operating temperature. It cost $50 for the part and I replaced that myself.

It helps keep maintenace/repair costs down being able to do all the work myself. So I have no real complaints about this car.

I bought it as a cheap winter car (paid $900 5 years ago).

This is my second Subaru, had an '84 four wheel drive with 175,000 on it previously. The rear wheel bearing support rusted through and became un drivable. Still sold it for $100 to someone who wanted the engine!

The GL-10 has about electric everything. Well, that's an exaggeration, but it does have a digital dash, electric windows, locks, mirrors, sunroof, cruise with trip meter and a relatively comfortable interior.

It doesn't have the adjustable ride height which I've heard is problematic.

It has good carrying ability. The rear seats fold down in such a way that the entire cargo area is flat.

With fuel injection and the turbo I can smoke the front tires if I want to so it has very usable power in traffic.

I get around 25mpg in the city.

In the snow, this thing is about unstoppable! It has a push button on the shifter to engage/dis-engage the four wheel drive.

It may not be real pretty now, but man is it fun to drive. It is 20 years old and has over 125,000 miles on it so I don't expect perfection. I plan on driving it until it dies for good.

Would I buy another Subaru? In a heartbeat. In fact talking to other Subaru owners, they seem to have a cult following. I've even had people offer to buy it from me. There's nothing special about it except that it's a Subaru!

If you're looking at one to buy, watch for rust in the front frame supports under the firewall.